1200 Calorie Diet

One of the safer diets you can take part in without risking your overall health and without sacrificing too much of the food you enjoy is a simple 1200 calorie diet. This diet is based on the recommendation that 1200 calories is the least amount of calories you can have each day and remain healthy.

This diet does not take a toll on your body the way many fasting diets do. The goal of the 1200 calorie diet is to take in as many calories as your body needs to function and no more. Weight loss occurs when you are taking in less calories than you burn, and 1200 is the amount your body needs simply to function, so any calories you burn will be from fat.

This type of diet is particularly useful for diabetics as they cannot do any of the more extreme diets since they must keep their blood sugar levels consistent and eat throughout the day.

While the only real restriction with a 1200 calorie diet is the caloric intake, there are certain foods that should be avoided. Spaghetti is high on the list, as well as wheat wraps and, of course as with almost any diet, sugary foods. There are some vegetables that should be avoided as well including cabbage, beans, broccoli, peppers and cauliflower, which are starchy vegetables and can raise the bodies insulin levels too quickly.

With the 1200 calorie diet plan, moderate exercise is recommended so that you ensure that you are burning more calories than you are taking in. However, extended and strenuous workouts are not recommended while on the 1200 calorie diet, because burning too many calories each day without taking in enough can cause damage to your muscles and overall health.

Another danger with the 1200 calorie diet is nutritional deficiencies. Since you can function sufficiently on 1200 calories a day, some people stay on the diet for extended periods of time. The goal of the diet is to lose weight over a certain period of time, and though 1200 calories is enough to survive on, it is not optimal for you long term health.

If you spend a significant amount of time taking in only 1200 calories a day, your body will compensate and your metabolism will begin to slow down. This means that when you go off the diet, it will be much easier to gain weight as your body will be used to taking in very few calories and will be more likely to store the excess as fat.